Egypt's House refutes European Parliament's decision on death penalty

CAIRO- 17 February 2018: The House of Representatives on Saturday refuted a decision taken by the European Parliament on death penalty in Egypt.

"The decision reveals ignorance of the reality of the situation in Egypt," a statement by the head of the parliament's Committee of Foreign Relations Tarek Radwan read.

"It also overlooked lengthy discussions with EU lawmakers, the European Commission and the EU member states on various issues of common concern," Radwan said.

"The decision, which includes fabricated data that undermines the credibility of one of Europe's most prominent institutions, represents an impenetrable interference in Egypt's internal affairs", said the senior lawmaker.

In view of the death penalty's gravity, the Egyptian laws have provided several guarantees to those facing such punishment in a fair trial offering them an opportunity to defend themselves in accordance with international standards, the statement said.

The Egyptian law limits the death penalty to the most serious crimes, and states that such sentence requires the unanimous opinion of all judges of the criminal court that hears the case, it added.

The Egyptian law affirms that all death penalties have to be issued in the defendant's' presence and to be heard by the Court of Cassation, Radwan said.

The law also provides that a person who has not attained the age of eighteen at the time of crime will not be sentenced to death, the statement read.

It also allows the President of the Republic to consider a pardon or replace the sentence within 14 days, it added.

The provisions of Egyptian law on the death penalty are consistent with the international standards and controls embodied in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights signed by Egypt, he added.